J-bird
  •  J-bird
  • 51.68% (Neutral)
  • Foreman Topic Starter
Friday, November 19, 2004 3:17:26 PM
Got a surprise on my way home from work tonight. This carnival was set up for a small town festival in the county where I work. Of course I had to check it out and see what show it was. There was no show insignia anywhere I could find so a ride op told me it was Great Sutton Shows. Well I have heard of them but thought it was a larger carnival. The ride op said that "Oh, they have other rides all over the country and this is the oldest carnival." He wasn't kidding. Anyway, I am not bashing, just telling the truth when I say this was the worst looking carnival I have seen in years. No kiddie rides except for the slide and an inflatable bounce castle. No MGR; only other rides here were Rock-A-Plane, Round-Up, Scrambler and Tempest. All the rides looked old and were partially lit. The Tempest was a piece of junk w/ no lights at all.....only illuminated by lights placed outside the fencing. There were several games and two food concessions which looked like they had been to China and back. We won't talk about the carnies themeselves.....Overall, a sad impression.

I realize its the end of season so I'd like to think that maybe things were better back in the spring. I asked where the WQ was and the guy said they have the main one in Brooksville, FL and another one in Alma, GA (Bacon Co.) Has anyone seen this carnival this year?
Floridian
Friday, November 19, 2004 3:36:38 PM
The Sutton family is good people. They have had it a little rough these last few years and yes....they are the oldest carnival.
orphaned
Friday, November 19, 2004 4:04:37 PM
Saw them years ago and it looked rough then too.
Bossman
Friday, November 19, 2004 4:06:54 PM
The show had it's roots from around 1869 and was a west coast show at one time. They became a "carnival" in 1895 when Levi Sutton bought a MGR. If I have counted right, they are in the 4th generation or maybe their 5th...Very nice people, the show may have not kept up with time...
orphaned
Friday, November 19, 2004 4:12:29 PM
Dan,

Great Southern and Great Sutton were two different shows. The pics you have are indeed of Great Sutton though. And they look exactly as I remember them looking back in the 80's. If you all look closely at the rides racked, you'll notice they were pretty old even then.
Dan L.
  •  Dan L.
  • 60.96% (Friendly)
  • Ride Supervisor
Friday, November 19, 2004 4:34:09 PM
Bryan, you are correct. I will correct. Thanks.
Sixcat
  •  Sixcat
  • 51.26% (Neutral)
  • Ride Supervisor
Friday, November 19, 2004 8:39:27 PM
I played with them a few years ago. Nice People. Definite a throw back show. Their story is one for the history board. I've heard it but don't have all the facts. One thing I remember is, they used to be a big west coast show. Can't remember why they came east. Maybe someone knows their story.
Sixcats have nine lives
alibiguyny
Friday, November 19, 2004 8:49:34 PM
they are one of the oldest people in the biz. and as nice as can be but when they lost there other son who was killed in a accident when if im not mistaken they were filming a movie. then frank who was hurt in walmart let the show go to hell waiting for the big pay off which im not sure if it ever came. when you go in there office you see all pictures of old movie stars pictured with pete sutton. in his prime he was a better smooser then ed gregory. they are now mostly a flatstore show who was bank rolled by don prevost for years. any one want to anymore depth or details i have many of storys about them. they supposedly invinted the whole r key and hinge thing for stick joints.
i dont smell em i just tell em......
jb
  •  jb
  • 51.84% (Neutral)
  • Foreman
Saturday, November 20, 2004 9:26:41 AM
I got a call on my ans machine from Frank Sutton back in the spring when his Dad Pete, passed away. I knew both of them well. I booked 2-3 spots for them here in Ky some 10-12 years ago. They are/were truly nice people. I agree that they were a trrow-back show who did not change as the times changed. They lost some equipment in South America, and that, combined with their move east, and their refusal to drop flat stores, and change with the times, led to their near-demise. Also, they told me an office manager in the early 90's embezzled quite a bit of $$ from them, which sure didnt help. Also, Pete Sutton told me he invented the concept of P.O.P. when he played California.
Sixcat
  •  Sixcat
  • 51.26% (Neutral)
  • Ride Supervisor
Saturday, November 20, 2004 10:04:35 AM
I do know they had flat stores around them in the past but when I played 3 or 4 spots with them a few years ago before going north, they didn't have any. And again, they are easy to work with.
Sixcats have nine lives
back40
  •  back40
  • 50.48% (Neutral)
  • Maintenance Supervisor
Saturday, November 20, 2004 12:49:24 PM
Sutton Shows is still just down the road from me, They still have a WQ in SpringHillFlorida, on the county line, But If my memory serve me correctly was not one of the family members shot to death in his home out there by the Juvie center? Six you might remember this story, It was a big story for Pasco county back then,I think some time in the 80's ?
it's never 'DANGEROUS' being who you are
orphaned
Saturday, November 20, 2004 4:52:15 PM
Had a fair board member from another KY fair that Sutton played a couple of years ago tell me a story about Pete Sutton. He was supposedly ticked off at the independent midway at this small county fair.....there were three or four grab joints set up down the way from the midway and they were "undercutting" the midway on soda pop prices. She said Pete came walking down the midway, the independent midway, packing a pistol on his hip and was very mad....LOL....I think the grab joints on the independent midway raised their prices right then and there LMAO!

I got to meet Pete Sutton at Gibtown three years ago or so. I'll bet you that man probably had a TON of jackpots. We always are talking about the last of the great showmen on here, but it's kind of funny that Pete Sutton's name never seems to come up...why is that? Is it because Sutton was a fairly small show? Just wondering, because he obviously would fit in that class of the "last of the great showmen"
itsapartytx
Thursday, June 10, 2021 12:01:52 AM
I worked for Great Sutton Shows for 2 seasons. Joined them in Kingsport Tennessee and learned a lot of history. The Great Sutton Shows (at the time in the late 1980*s) was the oldest traveling carnival in America. The original Mr. Sutton was traveling across American even during the Civil War. In the 60*s and 70*s they grew very large and had a South American Unit that was huge but (cant remember what country) seized their rides and show because they wouldn't pay some outlandish scheme that country had imposed on them. It would have been in the millions. Years later I've heard they weren't traveling anymore There home base was Brooksville, FL but had also had a base in Santa Barbara, California. The Suttons were awesome people and treated everyone the same, from the top to the bottom. I hope Frank is doing well.
itsapartytx
Thursday, June 10, 2021 12:05:04 AM
I worked for Great Sutton Shows for 2 seasons. Joined them in Kingsport Tennessee and learned a lot of history. The Great Sutton Shows (at the time in the late 1980*s) was the oldest traveling carnival in America. The original Mr. Sutton was traveling across American even during the Civil War. In the 60*s and 70*s they grew very large and had a South American Unit that was huge but (cant remember what country) seized their rides and show because they wouldn't pay some outlandish scheme that country had imposed on them. It would have been in the millions. Years later I've heard they weren't traveling anymore Their home base was Brooksville, FL but also had a base in Santa Barbara, California. The Suttons were awesome people and treated everyone the same, from the top to the bottom. I hope Frank is doing well.